In preparation for Sunday’s sermon on worship, here are ten observations from Deuteronomy 4:1–14.
1. Deuteronomy 4 is the last chapter of Deuteronomy’s covenantal introduction.
In Deuteronomy Moses follows (and reformulates) a covenant structure identifiable by anyone living in the ancient Near East. Just as covenants made between kings and their servants (i.e., Suzerains and their vassals) followed a standardized pattern, so does the book of Moses.
| Ancient Near Eastern Suzerainty Treaty[1] | Deuteronomy as a Covenant Document |
| Preamble (“These are the words . . .”) | Preamble (1:1–5): “These are the words of Moses addressed to all Israel . . .” |
| Historical Prologue: a survey of the relational history between covenant partners | Historical Prologue (1:6–4:49) |
| General Stipulations | General Stipulations (ch. 5–11): general commands to love, serve, fear Yahweh |
| Specific Stipulations | Specific Stipulations (ch. 12–26): an exposition of the Ten Words |
| Divine Witnesses: various deities called to witness the treaty | Blessings and Curses (ch. 27–28) |
| Blessings and Curses: relating respectively to the maintenance of breach of the covenant | Divine Witnesses (see 30:19; 31:19; 32:1–43) |
From this outline, we see where Deuteronomy 4 is situated. It is the final word of the covenantal introduction (i.e., the historical prologue). Moreover, in a way that deviates from the classical ANE treaty formula, it adds covenantal instructions that anticipate the next sections—namely, the general and special stipulations given in chapters 5–26. Continue reading
Via Emmaus 